As the host of COP26 in Glasgow, the UK tried to position itself as a global climate leader. On the 28th of June, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) presented their ‘Progress in reducing emissions’ report to Parliament. The report is damning and states, “The UK has lost its clear global leadership position on climate action”[i]. Alok Sharma, who chaired the COP26 summit, has agreed, admitting that he fears the UK could lose its “international reputation and influence on climate”[ii]. The key problem is that climate action has been too slow. By 2030, the UK needs to reduce its territorial emissions (emissions that occur within the UK’s borders) by at least 68% from 1990 levels to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments that it made at COP26[iii].
However, it will be difficult for the UK to achieve this commitment because of delays in policy development and implementation. There is no policy yet to deliver the Government’s ambitious targets on the decarbonisation of the steel industry, nor are there wide enough incentives for the electrification of industry. According to the 2021 ‘Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener’, by 2030, the UK should achieve a 5 GW low carbon hydrogen production capacity, be deploying at least 5 MtCO2 per year of engineered greenhouse gas removals, and about 20-30 MtCO2 per year of carbon capture. By the mid-2030s, carbon capture should reach at least 50 MtCO2 per year[iv]. However, hydrogen storage, greenhouse gas removals, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) all have considerable lead times (the period between a process starting and being completed). Tree-planting, peatland restoration, and low-carbon heating roll-out have also been said to be too slow. By the end of this Parliamentary term, planting rates should hit 30,000 hectares per year; by 2025, 35,000 hectares of peatland should be restored; and by 2028, there should be 600,000 heat pump installations a year[v].
Source: Friends of the Earth
The report also raised concerns about plans to increase domestic fossil fuel production. In April 2022, in response to a rise in energy costs, the Energy Security Strategy committed to North Sea oil and gas production[vi]. By October, a new round of licensing for oil and gas projects was initiated by the North Sea Transition Authority[vii]. The new North Sea oil and gas production plans have sparked outrage amongst climate activists. Further, in December 2022, the UK’s first new deep coal mine for 30 years was approved[viii]. The coal mine is projected to increase UK emissions by 0.4Mt CO2e per year[ix].
Graham Stuart, the Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has responded to the Committee’s report by stating that
"There is no button I can press tomorrow, and as we will be dependent on oil and gas for decades to come, even as we move to net zero, it makes sense that we should produce it here”[x].
The CCC acknowledges that some fossil fuels will be needed in the transition to net zero but that this does not justify the development of new fossil fuel production sites. Graham Stuart has also said that the Cumbria coal mine will not be used for energy production but rather for coking coal for making steel[xi]. However, due to a surplus of coal and the high sulphur content of the Cumbria coal, most UK steel producers will not use it[xii]. This means that most of the new coal will have to be exported, but with most European steelmakers using green methods like renewable energy and electric arc furnaces, where these exports will go is uncertain[xiii].
Source: Simple Flying
The CCC singled out aviation as a significant contributor to UK emissions, accounting for 7% in 2022[xiv]. UK aviation emissions were 29 MtCO2e in 2022, which is 25% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, but 95% higher than in 2021[xv]. The CCC’s aviation indicators suggest that progress cannot be attributed to policy implementation. The report had five key messages regarding aviation. The first is that the UK Government’s 2022 Jet Zero Strategy is too reliant on developing technologies such as a rapid uptake in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and aircraft efficiency savings. If these technologies are not delivered on time, and at scale, the UK will not hit its net zero target. This relates to another key message that the implementation of the Government’s SAF mandate is delayed. The third message is that the Government needs to develop policies and technology to manage aviation demand better, which is the most effective way to reduce aviation emissions. This can be done by addressing private flying, providing lower-cost domestic rail travel, and using digital technologies. Fourthly, the CCC has noted that UK airports have increased their capacity and have developed expansion proposals despite the Committee’s advice that there should be no net expansion of airports[xvi]. The CCC has called for a UK-wide capacity management framework before any more expansion takes place. The final message for the aviation sector is that the SAF mandate does not have a clear enough target regarding non-CO2 effects, which also contribute to net global warming.
You can read more Zero Carbon Academy Insights on aviation here:
Source: World of Renewables
As we discussed previously, the UK planning system hampers the deployment of onshore wind production. UK planning rules have also been criticised in the report for delaying the development of infrastructure that will help with a net zero transition. The report calls on the planning system to consider the importance of net zero in every planning decision.
[i] Climate Change Committee- 2023 Progress Report to Parliament
[ii] BBC- Climate Change Committee says UK no Longer a World Leader
[iii] Climate Change Committee- 2023 Progress Report to Parliament
[iv] Gov.uk- Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener
[v] Ibid
[vi] Gov.uk- British Energy Security Strategy
[vii] North Sea Transition Authority- NSTA launches 33rd Offshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round
[viii] BBC- Cumbria coal mine: Will it threaten the UK's climate targets?
[ix] Climate Change Committee- Letter: Deep Coalmine in the UK
[x] BBC- Climate Change Committee says UK no Longer a World Leader
[xi] Ibid
[xii] BBC- First UK Coal Mine in Decades Approved Despite Climate Concerns & Climate Change Committee- Letter: Deep Coalmine in the UK
[xiii] The Guardian- UK’s First new Coalmine for 30 Years gets Go-Ahead in Cumbria
[xiv] Climate Change Committee- 2023 Progress Report to Parliament
[xv] Ibid
[xvi] Climate Change Committee- The Sixth Carbon Budget: The UK’s Path to Net Zero
Gemma recently graduated with a degree in International Development. She is currently studying for an MSc in Sustainable Urbanism, which examines urban planning and urban design through a sustainability lens. “I’m passionate about addressing sustainability challenges in a holistic and pragmatic way. Zero Carbon Academy's diverse range of services targets many of the areas that need support if we are to transition to a liveable future. I’m excited to see the impact that the Academy makes.”
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